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Joshua Roy Out Indefinitely With Undisclosed Injury

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Canadiens rookie winger Joshua Roy will be out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury, GM Kent Hughes said in a team release. The 20-year-old sustained the injury in Tuesday’s game against the Oilers and has left the team’s Western Conference road trip to return to Montreal for evaluation. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports the injury occurred when Roy blocked a shot from Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the third period of yesterday’s 3-2 overtime loss, although he didn’t appear to miss a shift.

It’s been an otherwise promising season for the youngster, who’s climbed his way to the NHL ranks earlier than expected. Still in the first season of his entry-level contract, the 2021 fifth-round pick exploded in the minors with 13 goals and 32 points in 40 games for AHL Laval, one of the best per-game rates on the team. He received an 11-day recall in January and was summoned again to the Canadiens on Feb. 11, where he’s remained aside from a brief loan to Laval on March 8, the day of the trade deadline, to make him eligible to play with Laval in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Roy hasn’t looked out of place in the majors, recording four goals, five assists, and nine points with a -2 rating through his first 23 games. He’s managed solid possession metrics for a rookie on a rebuilding squad, logging a 49.5 CF% at even strength as well as a 2.9 relative CF%, and he’s averaging just under a minute per game on the power play. He’s logged middle-six minutes overall, averaging 12:08 per game, and is shooting at 11.8%.

For the Canadiens, it’s another disappointing injury to a young forward in a development year. They’ve been without Kirby Dach since Game 2 of the regular season due to a knee injury, while Alex Newhook and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard have also missed significant chunks of the season.

If Roy’s evaluation yields a week-to-week timeline for a return, he may be done for the season. The team has 14 games and 27 days remaining on their regular-season schedule.

Jonas Brodin To Have MRI, Avoided ACL Injury

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Wild left-shot defenseman Jonas Brodin will undergo imaging today to determine the extent of a lower-body injury he sustained in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Ducks, The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports. The belief is that Brodin has avoided an ACL tear in his right knee, which folded awkwardly when Ducks winger Alex Killorn delivered a late shove along the boards (video link, viewer discretion advised). Killorn was not penalized for the play, and he will not face supplemental discipline.

While Brodin may not be out months, it’s certainly possible his 2023-24 campaign may be in jeopardy with only a few weeks left on the regular-season schedule if imaging reveals a mid-grade injury of any kind. The blue-liner, who’s now in the third season of a seven-year, $42MM extension, missed 17 games earlier this season with an upper-body injury.

The injuries have limited Minnesota’s top shutdown man to 51 games on the season, although he’s looked no worse for wear when in the lineup. Brodin has seven goals and 23 points through 51 games, the highest points-per-game pace of his 12-year career, as well as a team-leading +17 rating. He hasn’t overtaken the number-one role vacated by captain Jared Spurgeon’s season-ending injuries, however. That honor has gone to rookie Brock Faber, who’s well on his way toward a top-two finish in Calder Trophy voting with 38 points in 69 games while averaging 25:06 per contest – the most for a rookie since ATOI began being tracked in the 1997-98 season.

Now 30, Brodin remains a core on-ice and off-ice component to this Wild club, and any absence is a gigantic blow to their chances of capturing a playoff spot. The Wild are hot – 6-2-2 in their past 10 games – but only have a roughly 1 in 5 chance of catching the Golden Knights for the second wild-card spot, per MoneyPuck, a number that certainly drops without Brodin and Spurgeon in the fold.

With likely out for tonight’s game against the Kings at a minimum, one of Alex Goligoski or Dakota Mermis will slide into the lineup after serving as healthy scratches against Anaheim. Mermis is much more probable, as the 38-year-old Goligoski has been a scratch in 19 straight games dating back to Feb. 7 against the Blackhawks. Mermis has been a healthy scratch for five straight.

Coyotes Likely To Remain At Mullett Arena For 2024-25

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Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the Coyotes are likely to remain at Tempe’s Mullett Arena for the 2024-25 season (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo’s current attempt to keep the team in the Phoenix area involves a bid for a public land auction involving a plot in the north part of the city, although the auction won’t occur until June. Next season is the final one in the initial three-year lease the Coyotes signed with Arizona State University to play at the new facility, which also has two one-year extension options.

Daly said the league “probably” wouldn’t have enough time to pivot toward relocation if the bid fails and would punt an effort to move the team to a new market – Salt Lake City is the most likely – to 2025-26. Per Johnston, both Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman did not issue a set deadline on a relocation decision for the franchise, but the former said “it’s getting late” in the process.

The Coyotes’ initial attempt to remain in the market, a multi-use development in Tempe near the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, failed when their proposal was struck down in a public referendum last May. They have since yet to issue a comprehensive plan for a new arena in the region.

Bettman affirmed the league’s faith in Arizona as an NHL market, once again signaling the league will return if relocation becomes a necessity:

We would’ve preferred to be in a new arena by now, but there are certain things that couldn’t be controlled. We would’ve preferred that the referendum in Tempe went the other way, but it didn’t, and so we deal with what we can deal with. Having said that, we believe Arizona, particularly the greater Phoenix area, is a good NHL market. It’s a place we want to be.

In the unlikely event that the Coyotes lose the auction and have no serviceable Plan B lined up, it’s hard to imagine the league issuing them any more patience. If so, the franchise will likely not take advantage of their extension options on the Mullett lease and move to either Salt Lake City or another market with demonstrated interest, such as Atlanta or Houston, for the 2025-26 season.

Blues Agree To Terms With First-Round Pick Theo Lindstein

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The Blues have signed 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein to a three-year, entry-level contract, per a team release. The team did not disclose financial terms.

St. Louis selected the left-shot defenseman from Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League with the 29th overall pick. The 19-year-old was viewed as a potential top-10 choice in early 2023 prospect rankings as a shutdown blue liner but dropped down public boards throughout the year and was graded as low as a third-round pick by a few notable public scouting outfits, including Elite Prospects and McKeen’s Hockey. Elite Prospects’ final scouting report called him “safe, calm and a play killer with his stick” but criticized his ability to process plays quickly and said he “lacked initiative, often deferring to his partner on breakouts.”

Others are more optimistic about the 6-foot-1, 180-lb defender, such as Dobber Prospects, who list him as one of the Blues’ premier defense prospects and believe he has a top-four ceiling. Those who had him ranked lower tab his projection as a bottom-pairing, penalty-killing utility player at his peak. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Lindstein as the Blues’ best defense prospect and their fifth-best overall prospect, calling him an “unspectacular but solid two-way defenseman” with a “high likelihood of becoming a solid D partner to someone in the NHL long term.”

Even for shutdown players, a lack of point-producing ability at lower levels, such as what Lindstein displayed in his draft season, is generally indicative of a tough path to NHL minutes. His totals on the scoresheet improved markedly this season, however, leading all defensemen at the 2024 World Junior Championship with six assists and eight points in seven games for Sweden en route to a silver medal, as well as 15 points and a +13 rating in 49 games for Brynäs, who were demoted to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan after losing last year’s SHL relegation series.

Lindstein was the last of three first-round picks the Blues had in last year’s draft, selected after centers Dalibor Dvorský (10th overall) and Otto Stenberg (22nd overall). The Blues acquired the pick they used to select Lindstein from the Rangers in February 2023’s Vladimir Tarasenko trade, and the Rangers had previously acquired the pick from the Stars in exchange for defenseman Nils Lundkvist in September 2022.

Rangers Sign Jaroslav Chmelar To Entry-Level Deal

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The Rangers have signed forward Jaroslav Chmelar to a three-year, entry-level deal, per a team announcement. The contract is expected to begin in the 2024-25 season, although he’s eligible to finish the 2023-24 campaign on a tryout with the team’s AHL affiliate in Hartford. The New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver reported Tuesday that Chmelar would likely ink his ELC in the coming days. The deal has a cap hit of $867.5K broken down into a $775K NHL salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $57.5K games played bonus, and $80K minors salary each season, per PuckPedia.

Chmelar, 20, completed his sophomore season at Providence College on Saturday after UMass eliminated them in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Before coming stateside, the Czech power forward spent four seasons in the Finnish development system. The Rangers selected him out of Jokerit’s U-18 club in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He also represented Czechia at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships, winning the silver medal his second time around.

Chmelar had a decent freshman campaign with Providence, factoring into their middle six and only missing a handful of games due to his WJC appearance. His seven goals and 13 points in 33 games, along with a -2 rating on a team that finished with a +16 goal differential, signaled he wasn’t ready to turn pro, but few expected him to anyway. He missed roughly a third of this season with injuries but showed improvement when in the lineup, posting 15 points in 26 games along with a +7 rating that tied for third on the team.

He’ll need some seasoning in the minors, but the 6-foot-5, 220-lb winger will have NHL-ready size whenever he gets his first recall. Hartford has an eight-point cushion on a playoff spot in the AHL’s Atlantic Division with 14 games remaining in their regular season schedule, so he has a decent chance at seeing professional postseason action to close out 2023-24. Chmelar checked in at number 13 on The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s most recent ranking of Rangers prospects, a pool that’s deepest at wing with Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault both living up to their first-round pedigree thus far in their development.

Assuming Chmelar’s deal is registered for the 2024-25 campaign, he’ll reach RFA status in 2027. His ELC signing age will be recorded as 21 because he has a July birthday, meaning he’ll require waivers after three years or playing 80 NHL games, whichever comes first.

Snapshots: Kovalenko, Chmelar, Joshua

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Earlier today, the Colorado Avalanche announced that the team had finally brought up-and-coming prospect, Nikolai Kovalenko, to North America. Not under the best pretenses, however, as the team announced Kovalenko would start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, to rehabilitate from a leg injury suffered during his time in the Kontinental Hockey League.

The obvious hope for the Avalanche is that Kovalenko is eventually able to play at the NHL level at some point this season. Playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL for the last two years, Kovalenko has scored 32 goals and 89 points in 98 games after being a sixth-round pick by Colorado in the 2018 NHL Draft.

The Eagles do have a game tonight as well as one tomorrow against the Milwaukee Admirals, but it is unlikely that Kovalenko will draw into the lineup for either of those two matchups. After that, AHL Colorado does not have another game until March 29th, which may set a timeline for Kovalenko’s debut within the Avalanche organization.

Other snapshots:

  • Although nothing is official, Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal is reporting that the New York Rangers are expected to sign Jaroslav Chmelar after his season with Providence College came to an end on Saturday. Chmelar was originally a fifth-round pick of the Rangers back in the 2021 NHL Draft and has spent the last two years in the United States after coming over from his native Finland. Over 59 games in the Hockey East Division, Chmelar scored 12 goals and 28 points overall, after a leg injury requiring surgery cut his season short this year.
  • Recently being put on the team’s long-term injured reserve, Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua is progressing with his injury recovery, but the team is still being cautious with his load management (X Link). An important depth scorer for the Canucks this season, Joshua has scored 13 goals and 26 points over 53 games this year.

Evening Notes: Trouba, Foote, Pelletier

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New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba has returned to the practice sheet after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury. It’s Trouba’s first significant absence of the season, after playing in 60 of the team’s 63 games up to the point of his injury. Head coach Peter Laviolette told The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (Twitter Link) that the team wants to take their time with transitioning Trouba back into the lineup, wanting to make sure he’s fully healthy first.

Trouba is managing another strong season, despite seeing a dip in his scoring – netting just three goals and 22 points in 60 games this year and likely to miss the 30-point mark for the first time in three years. His value has instead come on the other side of the puck, with Trouba ranking third on the Rangers in hits-per-game (2.73), behind William Cuylle and Matt Rempe. Laviolette has employed a physical presence in his first year with the Rangers and Trouba has been happy to comply, leaning into the presence that’s made him one of the league’s most divisive players. The Rangers will need to make sure Trouba is fully ready to go before returning because there’s no doubt he’ll jump right back into his heavy-hitting role.

Other notes from around the league:

  • New Jersey Devils forward Nolan Foote is facing an undisclosed injury and did not join the team on their three-game road trip last week, per Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com. Foote was assigned to the AHL on a four-game conditioning stint in early March, scoring three goals and four points in four games. He was formally activated off of season-opening injured reserve on March 12th, though he’s yet to make his season debut in the NHL. It’s unclear when fans can expect him to work his way into the Devils lineup.
  • The Calgary Flames have sent Jakob Pelletier to the AHL (Twitter Link) after placing him in the press box for their last two games. Pelletier is playing out his formal rookie season in the NHL, with one goal and three points in 13 NHL games on the year. He appeared in 24 games with Calgary last year, netting three goals and seven points. Despite scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the minors – 102 points in 105 games since 2021-22 – Pelletier is still searching for his scoring groove at the top level. He’ll get another chance to hone his craft, now again with the Calgary Wranglers.

Metropolitan Notes: Gruden, Wotherspoon, Marino

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With Jeff Carter out with an upper-body injury tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in a position to recall a forward to fill his spot in the active lineup. In doing so, the Penguins brought up Jonathan Gruden from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins via an emergency recall.

Recalled oftenly this season by Pittsburgh, this transaction will mark Gruden’s sixth call-up of the season in total. In now his fourth season with the Penguins organization, Gruden has accrued the most NHL games played in a single year for his short career, scoring one goal in 11 games for Pittsburgh this year.

While still failing to make a name for himself at the NHL level, Gruden is been an solid contributor to the WBS Penguins over the last four years. Over 204 regular season games overall, Gruden has scored 45 goals and 96 points in total, while also chipping in one goal and three points in five playoff games, as well.

Other Metro notes:

  • In a similar transaction, Pittsburgh’s opponent tonight, the New Jersey Devils, have recalled defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon by way of an emergency recall. In his second emergency recall in only his last week, Wotherspoon has had an elevated opportunity to play in the NHL due to multiple injuries on New Jersey’s back end. Unfortunately, Wotherspoon has yet to play with the Devils this season, but has registered four goals and 19 points in 54 games for the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
  • Paving the way for another emergency recall to Wotherspoon, earlier reports indicated that defenseman John Marino would miss the game tonight due to an upper-body injury (X Link). With Marino now out with an injury for at least this evening, New Jersey will be without three of their top-four defensemen, leading to a 5-11-0 record over the last 16 games for the organization.

West Notes: Seguin, Hakanpaa, Hertl, Pietrangelo

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Top Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin has hopefully worked his way back from a long-term absence, with head coach Pete DeBoer designating him as a game-time decision on Wednesday (Twitter Link). DeBoer was still cautious about saying too much, though, mentioning the team will see how Seguin feels tomorrow. The Stars were also without defenseman Jani Hakanpaa at practice on Tuesday. He’s facing a lower-body injury and carries a day-to-day timeline.

Seguin has been out since February 22nd, missing Dallas’ last 11 games. He’s been a force when he is on the ice, scoring 20 goals and 45 points in just 58 appearances this season. That puts him on an 82-game pace of 28 goals and 64 points, which would mark the most Seguin has scored since his 80-point season in 2018-19. His return to form is part of an emphatic wave of offense taking over Dallas this season, with nine different Stars carrying 45 or more points this season. They rank second in the league in total goals for and goals-per-game, sat behind the Colorado Avalanche in both stats.

Seguin will likely bump Ty Dellandrea out of the lineup, while Hakanpaa’s absence will open the way for Nils Lundkvist to return. If he does step in, Lundkvist will be playing in his first game since March 8th, when he appeared in just over nine minutes of Dallas’ 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. He’s been purely a bottom-pair defenseman this season, averaging roughly 15 minutes of ice time and serving as a prime candidate for reduced minutes if the flow of the game requires it. But he’s managed the best scoring pace of his career, with two goals and 15 points in 46 games. He’ll look to chase his career-high of 16 points, set last year, if he’s able to step back into a gameday role.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The newest Vegas Golden Knight, Tomas Hertl, is expected to resume skating by the end of this week or early next week, sources shared with SinBin.Vegas (Twitter link). When asked about Hertl after Tuesday’s practice, head coach Bruce Cassidy said, “Our medical team has a timeline. I’m not gonna give it to you. I don’t want to say out of sight of mind… but when he gets here it’ll be a luxury.” Hertl has been facing loose cartilage in his left knee that required surgery in February. He’s scored 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games with the San Jose Sharks this season and could be poised to make a huge impact on the Vegas roster, as he’s set to play outside of San Jose for the first time in his 11-year career.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights were without top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo at Tuesday’s practice. The veteran defender is now expected to miss the team’s Tuesday game with illness, per Cassidy (Twitter link). Pietrangelo has four goals and 32 points in 62 games this season, and plays in a commanding 23-minutes a night. That leaves big shoes to be filled, with newcomer Noah Hanifin and seventh-man Zach Whitecloud poised to get more ice time as a result.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Carter Gylander

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In a public announcement coming from the organization, the Detroit Red Wings have signed college goaltender, Carter Gylander to a two-year entry-level contract, beginning in the 2024-25 NHL season. The team also stated that Gylander would be joining the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, for the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout agreement.

Originally drafted by the Red Wings with the 201st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Gylander has spent the last four seasons playing for Colgate University of the ECAC Hockey Division. With his numbers dipping down a bit from last season, Gylander finished his NCAA career with a 14-14-4 season, coupled with a .901 save percentage and 2.93 goals against average over 32 games.

Gylander posted his best numbers during his junior season at Colgate, finishing with a 19-15-5 record in 39 games, posting a .914 SV% and a 2.46 GAA in the process. During the ECAC Hockey Tournament at the end of last season, Gylander led his team to a championship win over Harvard University, winning the tournament’s Most Oustanding Player award as well.

Unfortunately, Colgate’s run of success would end there, as the University of Michigan would eliminate them in a blowout game during the first round of the Frozen Four tournament. This season, Gylander and Colgate would make it to the second round of the ECAC Hockey tournament, but would be ousted by St. Lawrence University, officially ending Gylander’s collegiate career.

In Detroit, Gylander will join a growing list of young goaltending prospects that the team will be looking to graduate to the NHL at some point. With Sebastian Cossa still earning his stripes at the AHL level, the Red Wings still hold the signing rights to Trey Augustine, who is in the midst of a standout season with the Michigan State University Spartans.

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